The Inspector General of Police, IGP, should immediately withdraw police personnel from members of the National Assembly, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG, has advised.
Retired AIG Ambrose Aisabor said only the principal officers of the National Assembly deserved police orderlies and not just any lawmaker.
Aisabor spoke with Daily Trust on Saturday against the backdrop of recent video clip of Senator Elisah Abbo assaulting a woman in the presence of mobile policemen believed to be attached to the Senator.
“I know what the Senator did was wrong but the unfortunate thing is that there were two policemen in the video. Why is the police authority giving senators policemen? The people that are entitled to police security are the principal officers, in this case; the Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker and Deputy Speaker.”
He said the country could not be complaining about inadequate police personnel while Senators and House of Representatives members were parading police security. With 109 Senators and 360 Reps, Aisabor noted that it would be untidy to give all the Senators police security when the country is highly under – policed.
The ex-Police boss also said the police authorities must equally withdraw police security attached to some popular clergymen to make optimum use of the officer to effectively police the country.
He said: “If you look at the whole country, almost all pastors in different churches have convoy with police officers. I am a Christian, I did not read it in the Bible that Jesus Christ had police orderlies.”
He tasked the IG to give a marching order to the CP to withdraw policemen from members of the National Assembly who are not principal officers as well as Pastors.
According to him, this would address the manpower shortage being faced by the police.
